Intermission
by Zhie
Summary: Chilla now leads the lunataks, Cheetara embarks on a mission to discover who her father is, and whats-her-name is killed by a mysterious lion...rated R due to mature language and rape scene, you've been warned.
1. Chapter 1

### Intermission 

Part One 

New Thundera, Present Time 

"Duck!" Wilykat heeded Panthro's warning, hitting the dirt as the ice runner barely missed knocking into the kitten, although the term was merely a force of habit. Kat and his sister had long since grown up, and were quickly becoming a greater menace to the lunataks -- who were in turn, becoming a greater menace to the Thundercats. 

Since Luna's death, Chilla had taken control of the group. With the ice lunatak now in charge, the attacks had become more efficient. It was becoming harder and harder to keep the damages at a minimum from the attacks of these renegades. Luckily, they had ben spotted before they were able to get to a major city. This battle was being fought in an open field. The Thundercats had a definate disadvantage, trying to counter the aerial assaults while dealing with the ground battle. 

Panthro shot another blast of sleep gas towards RedEye before rolling out of the ensuing side winder's way and to where Kat was picking himself off the ground. 

"She didn't get you, did she?" questioned Panthro, assuming a defensive stance as Amok approached. 

Wilykat brushed himself off and shook his head. "Just the ususal scratches." he growled, steadying himself. He withdrew his weapons -- a pair of half staffs that extended like Cheetara's did, but were only 3/4 the size of hers. They had the capability of shooting energy beams separately, or being placed together, doubling the distance the beams could shoot and tripling the strength. He opted for this method now as Amok's figure loomed towards them. 

His sister had her own problems. TugMug was attempting to entrap her in a gravity field. She was able to dodge the blasts from the carbine now, but every shot made it's way closer to the young woman. He was firing so rapidly that she hadn't the time to draw her weapon -- a mystical oriental fan which Hatchiman had given her the birthday she had come of age.There was a sudden break in the blasts. Wilykit looked up to see Sumik, a Thundercat of the cougar breed, landing a roundhouse kick to the carbine, knocking it away from the lunatak. After losing the carbine, TugMug was able to get a grab on Sumik's foot and bring the young man to the ground.By now, Kit was able to retrieve the fan. In one twist of the wrist, it had flipped open and unleased a barrage of ice crystals. These enveloped TugMug, not completely freezing him, but detering him from doing further damage to the cougar -- for the moment at least. 

"Wrong move, Thundercat!" shouted TugMug, trying to break free ofthe ice. 

"I don't think so." Eyes narrowed, Wilykit flipped the fan forward, sending a shockwave to hit TugMug, causing him to blackout. 

Sumik remained motionless where he dropped. Kit surveyed the area and ran to where he lay. 

Only meters away, Cheetara randomly took pot shots at Alluro, who dodged the beams coming from her staff as he unsuccessfully tried to use his psyche club. 

"Give up, Thundercat. You don't stand a chance." he crooned as a shot grazed his foot. 

"Your pickup lines are getting old, scumbag. Won't work on me now anyway." she laughed. 

"But you don't want to fight me. Give in now, before it's too late." he said, voice thickening, despritely trying to hypnotize her. 

"Well, you've got one thing right. I don't want to fight you, it's a waste of my time." The blue orb continued to float over her head, yet still had no effect. Cheetara had been able to teach herself to block out the underlying hypnotical suggestions, making Alluro's toy useless against her. "But I'm the one who's stronger now." she said, an almost wicked smile crossing her face. "How the mighty have fallen." she said as a shot flew just past his right ear, taking a branch off the lone tree in the area.Unfortunately, she had been concentrating so hard, she missed hearing the ice runner coming from behind her. Chilla's icy rasp broke into the conversation. "Making fools out of the men in my army is my job, Thunderslut." Chilla then piloted the vehicle directly towards thecheetah. 

Her reflexes were down, what with trying to block out Alluro's words, as well as aim at him. Cheetara's best attempt to dodge it failed, and she next found herself sprawled on the ground, her staff over three meters from her reach, and her right arm split open lengthwise from the shoulder to the wrist. She cursed herself for not having a shield for that arm as she fell out of consciousness. With every heartbeat, blood poured across the ground. 

"Finish her! Now!" hissed Chilla as she flew the craft to helpAmok. 

"Whose fallen now, dear Cheetara?" Alluro asked, as he kicked her sharply in the ribs. 

Wilykit was the first to notice it. She was just getting Sumik to wake up when she saw Alluro prodding her friend and mentor. "Cheetara!" she shrieked, eyes wide, not believing what she saw. 

Sumik pushed her towards the direction of the fallen Thundercat. "Go. I'll be fine." He gave her another push. "Go!" 

Note: Please Disregard any links at the bottom of any of the chapters, I have to go through and clean those up later. 

Due to the strain on fanfiction.net to have hit counters up, I've tossed my own up here. 

[   
CountZ.com][1]

   [1]: http://CountZ.com



	2. Chapter 2

### Intermission 

Part Two 

"Hey, look, it's my favorite roomie!" Sumik laughed as Cheetara attempted to sit up in the bed she was in. The infirmary lights shone down at her as she sunk back into the soft white cushions. At first she expected that the reason was due to dizziness or a headache, until she realized that there were a series of tubes running through her nose and down her throat preventing her from moving far. 

Pumyra rushed over to the side of the bed and put her hand against Cheetara's forhead. "Still warm, but your temperature's going down." she told the cheetah. "We were getting worried about you." Pumyra said, checking the data readouts on the respiration systems. "Tygra thought you had lost too much blood, he wanted to amputate your arm, but that crazy panther of yours wouldn't let him touch you." 

Cheetara mustered what little strength she had to lift her head just enough to see Panthro, keeping watch over her from at the end of the bed. Through his look of concern he smiled back at her and gave a little squeeze to her foot. "I knew you'd pull through." He was about to say something else, but waved it aside for the moment. Normally, she would have asked what it was, but she was concentrating on keeping from choking on the tubes jostling around in her throat. She looked pleadingly towards Pumyra, hoping that the healer would understand what she wanted. 

"Tygra said I should leave it in for at least another hour to make sure you're breathing okay on your own." she said, flipping a switch to elevate the bed. From her seated position, she was now able to see Tygra, leaning up against the doorway. He nodded to confirm his instructions. 

"Is that really necessary?" Sumik questioned. "She looks like she's breathing okay already." 

"According to the monitors, it's still shakey." Pumyra told him. 

"You're not trained to diagnose these things." Tygra said as he was about to leave the room. "Let the professionals handle it. That's our job." Tygra shot a nasty look at the protective panther beforeleaving. 

Pumyra sighed and retrieved a pen and pad of paper for Cheetara and set them on her lap. "In case you need anything, this way you won't be totally unable to communicate." 

Cheetara was about to pick up the pen with her right hand, but it was only first now that she felt the thick wrappings of gauze wrapped around her arm. Memories of the battle began to return. Sumik was still looking towards the door, and now spoke up. "So, what bit his ass?" 

"He's pissed at me. Pissed I forced him not to amputate." Panthro said quietly. He turned to Pumyra. "You think I did the wrong thing?" 

"I think he's upset." Pumyra offered. 

"That's not an answer." he said, getting up to move to Cheetara's side. He picked up the pen and handed it to her left hand, the held the pad steady infront of her. 

"I'll be right back. I need some coffee, maybe something to eat. I haven't left since the bunch of you came back. Call me if anything happens." Pumyra told Panthro, who merely nodded. The puma grabbed a small portible monitor, then briskly walked out. 

"Looks like she's pissed, too." said Sumik, watching her leave. "But good company is better than lots of company." He scatched at the back of his head, wincing as he touched the goose egg just behind his ear. "Pain, pain, go away, come again some other day..." he said in a sing-song voice as he rested against the pillows. "We're starting to become a regular thing around here, eh, Cheetara?" 

After each of the previous four attacks by the lunataks, both he and Cheetara had ended up in the med bay, with injuries ranging from superficial to minor. They had never before had to spend the night like they had this time, but they seemed to both always manage to get hurt. Sumik laughed as a private thought crossed his mind. "We shouldn't be calling ourselves Thundercats, we should be calling ourselves Blundercats. Or maybe Thunderclutzes!" 

Had she been able to smile, she would have. Instead, she drew a smiling face on a sheet of paper which Panthro held up for him to see. The cougar grinned and gave her the thumbs up sign. 

Wilykat entered at this point, waving at occupants. 

"So, they don't trust me alone in here with them." sighed Panthro. Wilykat stopped short, brow furled. 

"They didn't send me. In fact, they didn't want me in here. But if I'm going to learn to be a healer, I think I'd better start making rounds as soon as possible, don't you?" Wilykat walked over to Sumik's bed and picked up the chart. "Playing rough again, were we?" He teased. "Lacerations to the upper arms, fractured ribs, and a fractured ankle...as well as light head trauma. You trying to get out of work?" 

"Heh, always. What's the general diagnosis, doc?" Sumik askedwith a grin. 

"Hmm..." 

"FUBAR?" asked the cougar with raised eyebrows. 

"Not quite FUBAR..." Wilykat assured him. 

Panthro spoke up. "Cheetara says she's FUBAR." he read from thepad of paper. 

Wilykat crossed over to where the cheetah lay. "You can't be too bad." he said, picking up the clipboard hanging off the end of the bed. He glanced at the notes and bit his lip. "Alluro really got you good." 

"And then Kit really got him good!" Sumik reminded Wilykat. "Your sister is one tough lady." 

"Yeah, well, make sure you remember to treat her like a lady." Wilykat couldn't help be a bit defensive for his sister, although it was inevitable in his mind that she and Sumik may at some point become more than simply teammates. 

"Oh, I do." Sumik said quickly, raising a hand in protest. 

"Alright guys, if you want to spar, do it somewhere else. Not here." Panthro said as he brushed aside the hair matted across his lover's cheeks. Cheetara kept as calm as she could, yet wanted despritely to rip the contraption out of her throat. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his hand as he stroked the side of her face. She let out a soft whimper as pain streaked up her side and across her back. Panthro looked over to Wilykat. "What all's wrong? You can read the charts,right?" 

Wilykat looked back to the pages. "You know about her arm already. She's got bruises on her side where she got kicked, bruises on her neck, and left leg...minor cuts on the arms and face...one of her lungs was partially collapsed when she got here, that's why she's on the respirator..." Wilykat reread one of the sentences over and over, trying to get himself to speak the words on the page. 

After an immense pause, he looked up to the others. "Cheetara, um, I know you can't talk right now," Wilykat said, "But just a yes or no. Uh, were you aware that...well, did you know that you were--" 

"Stop!" shouted Tygra appearing at the door. 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int3.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	3. Chapter 3

### Intermission 

Part Three

Chilla found Alluro staring out of one of the main observation panels of SkyTomb, surveying the area of New Thundera that they were in. Miles away, snarfs and thunderians scurried around like tiny fleas, going about their daily business, unaware of the impending danger. TugMug's idea to camoflage the fortress had paid off -- the lunataks were able to get closer than they normally would have been able to. 

Alluro turned around as he heard his leader enter the room. He still held onto the sill of the window, one leg elevated, bandaged tightly. It was just a sprain, but he was supposed to be using crutches, which Chilla noticed were no where in sight. She entered the room, Amok following after her like a lost puppy. 

Alluro's injury was the worst of the group. The others would heal by the next day, if they hadn't already. She had seen two of the Thundercats go down, however, and gladly accepted that one of her soldiers would be out for a week if two Thundercats would be out of commission for at least as long. RedEye had bitched at her that morning that they should have kept fighting during the battle yesterday, that they could have beaten the other three. What he didn't seem to take into account was that even if they had stayed and fought, it was inevitable that Lion-o would have showed up with reinforcements. 

Instead of trying to go after them full force, Chilla had decided it would be more efficient to slowly chip away at each of them. If they attacked every other day, and only took out one or two Thundercats each time, in less than a month they would be weakened, if not defenseless. She had no desire to crush them, either, since it was nearly impossible to do this. She merely planned to show them who the real power was on theplanet. 

Although other lunataks lived on the moons around New Thundera, few wanted to get involved with what was going on with the renagades Chilla was leading. The government's only interaction, when asked by the Thundercats for assistence with their former citizens, simply issued a reply that the lunataks that had left with Luna had been banished from the moons of Plundaar, and as long as they didn't come back to the moons, the government saw no reason to intervene. Since then, relations between the Thunderian and Lunaar governments had been shakey. 

"Don't tell me you're upset about the battle yesterday, too." Chilla said, crossing her arms infront of her as she approached the psi lunatak. He turned back to look out at the surroundings. 

"Do you think I killed her?" He asked, leaning out the window. 

Chilla muffled a laugh. "If she's dead, you're not the one who killed her. You couldn't even get her to put her weapon down." 

"Well, it looked like I did. I was the one standing over her when they all came rushing over." he said quietly. 

"Oh, don't tell me you're getting soft." Chilla rolled her eyes. "If that's the case, I'll have Amok put you out of your misery now." 

Amok shrugged, but didn't say anything. He was just following Chilla in hopes that she would soon lead him to the kitchen and get him some cookies."And anyway, so what if she did die? Tons of them were killed when the planet exploded. What's one more dead thunderian?" 

Alluro turned to face her now. "Not a thunderian. A Thundercat. If one of them dies, the others have a right to kill the killer." 

"I thought their stupid code prevented them from killing." Alluro was about to say something, but Chilla silenced him. "Nevermind. I'm sure you know more about those things than I do. I very much doubt she's dead, we'd have heard something by now if she were. It would be circulating in the media at this point." She crossed back to the exit, Amok following after her. 

"We will be having a meeting in three hours. I expect you to be there." She paused at the exit. "I hope after all this time, you know where your loyalties lie." she hissed narrowing her eyes. "You wouldn't think of betraying us, would you?" 

He was thankful that Lunataks had no code they needed to follow like the Thundercats did. He was especially thankful there were no mottos mentioning Truth or Loyalty. Alluro's eyes connected with her cold stare."No." 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int4.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	4. Chapter 4

### Intermission 

Part Four

Tygra walked briskly to Cheetara's bedside, snatching the chart notes from Wilykat. "I distinctly remember indicating you were not to be in here unless I allowed it." 

Wilykat took a step back, nearly knocking into Panthro in doing so. "I only wanted to help." he stammered. 

"You've done more harm than good." growled the tiger. 

"Hey, lay off, he didn't mean to do anything wrong." spoke up Sumik. 

Tygra turned his stare to the cougar. "Might I remind you, young man, that you are still on your probation as a Thundercat." 

Sumik was about to protest, but Panthro laid a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, now. No need for you to get involved." Sumik wanted badly to stand up to Tygra, but he knew Panthro was right. This wasn'tthe time. 

"Get out." Tygra ordered Wilykat, who nodded and, head down, leftthe room. 

Panthro's and Tygra's eyes locked in a stale mate. Finally, Tygra turned away with a sickened look on his face. "You just couldn't bear to tell her. Your own mate, and you couldn't do it. Mus take alotta balls to get somebody else to read it casually off a chart, eh?" 

Cheetara was trying to follow what was going on. What the hell was wrong with her? She felt the muscles in her neck tighten around the aparatus that was snaked through her respiratory system. Despritely, she fought off the need to throw up, knowing somehow that would worsen the situation. Grabbing blindly at the pen as she fought off the tears brought on by diagnosises that ran rampant through her head, she kept coming back to the same thought: Please don't let it be cancer. She'd seen so many aflicted with all types of the horrible disease, and it was something she wouldn't wish upon even her worst enemy. If it wasn't cancer, could it possibly be something worse. What could be worse? Her stomach trembled, irritating her throat. Tickling inside her abdomen, creeping, then rushing up through her chest, the sickly-sweet vomit spewed out, warm trickles running down the side of her mouth and through hernose. 

Tygra held the breathing device above her for a moment, then threw it to the side of the room. Seconds later, he had a suction hose in his palm, cleaning away the expelled matter. Her first few breaths without the respirator were short and some what shallow in her lungs, but quickly returned to normal. Cheetara opened her mouth, about to ask what was going on, but Tygra put his hand to her lips. 

"Shhh...Shouldn't talk now. Your throat's going to be really sore. Your breathing is good though, Sumik was right, you're doing fine on your own." The cougar looked at the tiger in disbelief that he would admit the earlier mistake. After Tygra finished, he went to Sumik's side of the room. "I think you two might want to talk." He said, drawing the curtain that separated the two beds. 

Despite Tygra's warning, Cheetara spoke anyway. "There was something you wanted to tell me?" she managed to get out in a raspy voice. 

Panthro swallowed hard, staring at the wall. "Yes." 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int5.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	5. Chapter 5

### Intermission 

Part Five

Cheetara had no intention of being told what was wrong while she was in the infirmary, with it's flashing lights and orchestra of beeps and buzzes, not to mention the fact that Tygra and Sumik were practically next to them. Tygra allowed her to be taken up to her room, with a strict warning to Panthro that should anything happen, he or Pumyra were to be notified immediately. 

The cheetah still clung to the fantisiful hope that this was some sort of dream. That somehow, dreams this real could exist. It seemed like one, at least. Nearly every part of her body was numb, but she would find out later that this would be due to the large quantities of morphine corsing through her system. 

Panthro nervously walked around in the room, picking up things on shelves, placing them back, moving others. It was as if touching these objects helped him gather the strength needed to tell her what she needed to know. His actions were so out of place it made the entire experience even more sureal to Cheetara. 

The panther sat down on th edge of the bed, his cheeks damp, eyes glistening. She had only seen him cry once before, that being the day his father passed..."I wasn't...I didn't want to tell you about this. I thought things might be better off if you didn't know." He placed his arm around her shoulder, rubbing her back. He wanted to hold her, wanted to shelter her, had to tell her. Wouldn't be fair if he didn't. He swallowed hard and his lip trembled. 

"Please...tell me. I'll be okay, I just need to know." her voice was still scratchy, her throat raw from the tubes. 

"I know you're stronger than I am, probably handle it better." Until now, he hadn't looked at her, but he turned his full attention to her. Looking deep into her eyes, deep into her soul. 

He took hold of her hand and held it tightly in his. "I should have told you from the start. Should have been loyal to you, told you the truth. I hope I haven't been dishonorable trying to get poor Wilykat to do it for me. But you need to know, if justice is to be served." He paused for a moment, stroking her hands. It always amazed him how small hers were compared to his. Both nearly fit flat atop one of his. Yet, her palms were so much rougher than his. Where his were strong and smooth, hers were dried out, skin peeling and small cuts adorned them, as if they had been scratched with sandpaper. Consequences of her staff, no doubt. Never once had he heard her complain about them being this way. 

She works so much harder than I do, he thought, big brown eyes staring back at him. You probably know what I'm thinking, and she nodded. Maybe if the words aren't said, maybe if you just pick it up like this, maybe it won't be so bad. 

"Tell me." Panthro was a sender, but not a reciever of the messages, and Cheetara's verbal command shocked him back into reality. 

"Tygra was right. I can't bear to tell you, but I have to. When you were in battle, when you went down, Alluro kicked you. Do you remember this?" he asked. 

A confused look crossed her face. "I thought Chilla ran me over with the Ice Runner." 

Panthro took a deep breath. "She did. You must have fainted after that. Alluro kicked you then, and Wilykit ran over, and threw her fan. It was charged, knocked him back and into the tree, he was out, I think she hurt his ankle, too. RedEye, and TugMug, they'd already been taken out, and when Alluro was out, Chilla called a retreat...Sumik was down on our side, but you know that already." 

"What happened when he kicked me?" she insisted. 

Panthro fought to find the words. He ran his hand down to her stomach, stroking the fur on her abdomen. "You were...with child...and now...you're not." 

She let the information sink in, nodding slowly. "I understand." she assured him. His look back was full of the pain felt by a father who could do nothing to save his child. "I...I didn't know I was." 

"It was very, very early. Tygra kept assuring me that it wasn't developed enough to feel pain...but I think I'm feeling the pain for him...or her..." Panthro drew Cheetara closer to him, not sure of what else to say or do. "I thought it might be better if you didn't know, but I don't think I could have lived with myself if I hadn't told you." 

"It's okay...it'll be alright." she soothed. 

Panthro's eyes clouded over again. Here she was, she was the one who was injured, and she was comforting him. Lords of Thundera, she is stronger than I am. "Right." he replied. 

Cheetara meshed herself against the panther's chest. It was warm and comforting. So were the arms which wrapped themselves around her. She was chilled in comparison, still in shock over what she had been told. She clung tightly to him, letting herself be cared for by him. She hoped that he wouldn't see the tears streaming down her face, but she knew he would. He lifted a hand to her face to wipe away the droplets, rocking her gently until, at last, peace finally came to her for the night. 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int6.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	6. Chapter 6

### Intermission 

Part Six 

Where the Thundercats would have had a round table around which the council sat, the lunataks had two, only rectangular. Chilla sat behind one, and the others took up residence behind the other, which was on a slope, making them lower than her by about five feet. It was one more way for her to make herself seen as their superior. 

"So, who do we take out next?" asked Alluro as the others settled into their seats. 

"I say we take them all out now!" TugMug insisted. Amok agreed by pounding his fist on the ground. 

"Why even bother with them? They're worthless to us -- we should leave now, before anyone puts another bounty on our heads." Spoke up RedEye. 

"Where do you suggest we go, RedEye? Back to Way-Out Bask?" 

Tug Mug snorted in laughter. "Yeah, let's go back to Captain Bragg the pedophile's world of fun." It had been determined six years or so ago, that the Captain was a child molester. This was found out only after he had propositioned Luna one night and raped her when he was drunk. The next morning, when he awoke to find the dwarf next to him, he became so enraged at himself, he snapped Cronan's neck and used the dead bird's beak to slit Luna's throat. Amok had heard his mistress's gurgled cries for help,. And was able to keep Bragg restrained until Officer Mandora arrived. Soon after, the whole truth came out. 

Due to an overcrowding of the grey penal planet, many prisoners of Way-Out Back were released. Bragg was left on his planet, alone, confined to one of his circus cages, with a single window, pointing towards Luna's grave. He had apparently done worse to others than he had to her, most of the previous victims being children. 

"I say we take out Wilykit." Suggested TugMug. "She bested both Alluro and I." 

"And you want me to let you go against her so she can beat you again?" Chilla shook her head. "Which one's the greatest threat to the plan?" 

"Um, Wilykit, but you already said it's not her." RedEye answered. 

"It's not her. Think. Or try to, at least. I know most of you are incapable of it." Chilla hissed. 

"Lion-o, of course." Said TugMug. 

"Nope." 

"Panthro! Panthro!" shouted Amok. Chilla shook her head. 

"Tygra, Sumik, Bengali, Snarfer, Lynx-o -- wait, sorry, forgot." He tried to think of those he'd missed. "Well, Cheetara's out, we're pretty sure. Wilykat? Sahny? Don't even tell me it's Snarf." Alluro said, crossing his arms. 

"That's all of them." Said RedEye. 

"Wrong." Grinned Chilla. 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int7.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	7. Chapter 7

### Intermission 

Part Seven 

When Cheetara awoke, Panthro was gone. She assumed he was on duty, that would make sense with how the rotations worked. There was really no need for him not to be, she thought. Some part of her was jealous. She felt he should have stayed with her, at least until she woke up. 

Her legs were shakey as she stood up. The only coverings she had on her body were the bandages on her legs and the cast along her arm. She walked uneasily to the full length mirror and stared at herself. Slowly, she moved her hand across her stomach, trying to imagine what it would have felt like to have a cub growing inside of her. Panthro's cub. She closed her eyes, feeling as if she had let him down. 

After about a minute, the pain seared across her back again, just as it had the day before. She winced in pain and sat back down on the bed, clutching her side. A moment later, it stopped, and, just as she had yesterday, she threw up. 

"This is just fucking not my week." The sheets of her bed were splashed with chunky orange slime. She swallowed hard, realizing too late her mistake. The taste of the vomit traveling back to her stomach did nothing but bring up more of the vicious bile. 

Rushing as quickly as she could to her bathroom, she washed out her mouth as best she could. She was afraid to get too close to the water with her injured arm. 

After tossing the sheets into a pile in the tub, Cheetara found her robe in the closet and made her way to the infirmary. Not only were the pains in her back and vomitting causing her greif, but there was tremendous discomfort in her arm as well. 

On her way there, she passed by Sumik, whose parents had come to visit him upon hearing of his injuries. Reintroductions were made, but in her present state, she quickly excused herself and continued down the hall. 

In the infirmary, Wilykat was resetting the monitors used the day before. Cheetara made her way quickly to the nearest bed. "I've got back pain, side pain, pain in my arm, and I think I've thrown up everything I've eaten in the last few weeks." 

Wilykat grabbed a stethoscope off the wall. "I can do prelim stuff, but Tygra should really make the determinations." Kat hit a switch that would locate Tygra and direct him to the med bay. 

Within seconds, the tiger had sprinted there, and began running a series of tests. "Where's Pumyra?" Cheetara asked as Tygra performed various blood and reflex tests. 

"She and Bengali got called to a brawl at some pub. They should be back soon." Tygra assured her, carefully calculating the strings of numbers on the readouts. "Hmm...this is really bizarre. Do you know where Panthro is?" 

"I had expected he was on duty." she answered. 

"I, well, I know where he is." stammered Kat. 

"Where?" inquired Tygra. 

"He's..." Kat glanced at Cheetara, then looked away. "...in the back of the lair, his sister's out there with him. He said he wanted to...to give the baby a proper burial." 

Tygra was going to tell Wilykat there was nothing really to bury, but Cheetara's pressence kept his mouth shut. "Why don't you go get him?" Wilykat nodded and left the room. 

"Is something wrong?" asked Cheetara. 

"No, I don't really think so." replied Tygra. He made his way over to her bed. "I think I know the cause of your symptoms, but I'd like to try one more test, alright?" Cheetara nodded as Tygra retrieved what looked like a tube of ointment, a short range monitor of sorts, and a circular paddle that connected to the monitor. 

"Okay, now what I'm going to do is rub this stuff," he said, holding up the tube, "on your stomach, and then use this," he indicated the paddle, "to project an image of what's in your stomach. Okay?" 

The cheetah nodded again. She pushed away the sheets on the bed so that Tygra could begin. The jelly-like concoction he rubbed on her stomach was practically ice cold, chilling the rest of her as it was being applied, and caused the fur in the area to be clumped together and matted down. 

All the while, Cheetara couldn't believe how selfish she had been. She should have known that Panthro wouldn't have left her room without a good reason, and even she hadn't really thought of having any sort of funeral for the unborn child. 

Tygra flipped on the monitor as Panthro entered with Kat. As Tygra settled the paddle onto the cheetah's abdomen, a blue and black image appeared on the screen. Wilykat looked for a moment and grinned. 

"What are you smiling about?" demanded Panthro. 

"Oh, please, let me tell them." insisted Kat. 

"Tell us what?" The panther asked, first a look of concern, then one of disbelief as he stared at the monitor. 

Cheetara raised herself up on her elbows to look at the screen. And it seemed like something -- someone -- was looking back. "I'm still pregnant. I thought the baby..." 

"It did." Tygra shifted the paddle to another part of her stomach. "Ah. That makes sense now." 

"What does?" Kat walked closer to see what Tygra was pointing at. 

"Two separate sections in the womb. It was twins, but they were both in their own separately functioning space, safe from an attack from the other's domain. The twin on the side that didn't get hurt is fine." Tygra shook his head. "It's very odd, though. I never heard of separate chambers like this. Pumyra probably has some knowledge of this. I'll ask her when she returns." 

Panthro approached the monitor, eyes damp for the second time that week. "Wow." His gaze was locked on the the cloudy blue image of what would soon be his child. 

Cheetara remained mesmerized as well. "It's so..." 

"...beautiful." Panthro finished for her. 

She giggled and shook her head. "...tiny." she replied. 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int8.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	8. Chapter 8

### Intermission 

Part Eight

Bengali ran up the steps, taking them two at a time. Before he hit the top landing, Lion-o and Wilykit came bounding out of the lair. "What happened?" asked Kit, holding the door open as Bengali rushed by. 

"Somebody find Wilykat and Tygra!" he shouted at them, continuing towards the infirmary. Behind him, a crowd of onlookers were trying to push their way past into the lair. 

Lion-o motioned for Wilykit to follow Bengali, who had been carrying a limp and lifeless puma the entire time. First Cheetara and Sumik, thought the lord to himself, and now Pumyra. Where would it end? And why wasn't the sword warning him in time? "Damned Lunataks." he growled under his breath. 

One of the onlookers stepped forward, the stench of alcohol surrounding him. "Excuse me, sir, but it wasn't the lunataks. We were having a good old fight down at the local pub, and those two entered at a bad time." 

"Who was fighting? Just the four of you?" Lion-o asked. 

"Oh, no, sir. Us'n the rest of the boys down there. We just followed him back here to get a look of things. Rumor has it the Highcliffs Contessa was injured earlier this week." the man said, trying to peak around Lion-o and into the hallway. 

It took Lion-o a moment to realize who the man was referring to: Many of the commoners tended to refer to the other Thundercats by the former titles they held on old Thundera. Regardless, he wasn't releasing information, and he was asking the questions. "How was she injured?" 

"Well, now, the exact details escape me." he said with a candid shrug. "But at one point, she jumped into the air, and when she came down, her foot was impaled on a broken glass bottle. She told the man nearest her not to remove it, but he did. There was blood everywhere." 

"But that man wasn't you?" Asked Lion-o, obviously becoming more enraged at them. 

"No, no! Wasn't I. Him, he's the one." the drunkard pointed to the follower in the back of the group. 

Lion-o approached the man, who stood almost even with the lord. "Is this true?" 

"Aye." answered the man, "But the bitch was askin' fer it. Coming into a man's place, gettin' involved. I hope she's thinkin' of an apology for the damage she caused -- stained the carpet red, she did." 

Lion-o raised his hand up to hit the man, then let it fall to his side. Violence would solve nothing. "Go home. You will be found later if you are to be punished for what has happened. And one more thing." he hissed as the group turned to leave. "Thundercats, no matter whether they be man or woman, are to be treated with the highest regard and utmost respect. They are not to be discriminated against due to gender, race, age, or any other reason. Pass that message to all you know." They nodded, all except the one who had hurt Pumyra, who just kept walking. 

In the infirmary, Bengali had placed Pumyra onto the bed Cheetara had just finished occupying. He had wrapped the top of his uniform around her foot. Tygra immediately elevated her leg as Wilykat grabbed a med kit. Cheetara and Panthro stood off to the side, looking on, helpless to do anything. Wilykit came over to join them. 

"What happened?" asked Cheetara as Tygra and Kat began working on the puma's lacerated foot. The bottle had actually jabbed her in the ankle and been dragged diagonally to her toes, nothing like the clean stab that had been described to Lion-o. 

"Barfight." Said Kit. "She and Bengali went to stop it. The patrons got upset that there was a woman in there, they tried to retreat, and one of the bastards tripped her and slashed her foot." she looked around quizically at hte number of occupants. "What, were you guys having a party in here or something?" 

"No, we found out Cheetara's having a baby." said Panthro, as happily as he could as he watched Pumyra being operated on. 

"Not right now, though. Not today, right?" asked Kit, slightlyconfused. 

"Not for months." Cheetara said. "All I'm dealing with right now is a bit of nausea...um, make that a lot of nausea..." she corrected, making her way as quickly as she could to the sink in the next room. 

Kit shook her head. "Boy, are you gonna have a fun time." 

Panthro looked at her. "Who, me?" "Yeah, you." 

"So she throws up sometimes and has backpains. I'll keep a bucket next to the bed adn massage her when she needs it." he shrugged. 

"Oh, no, no, no." she said with a laugh. "I'm talking about you, not her. Besides the fact that I'm relishing the image of you changingdiapers--" 

"We'll get a snarf for that." he answered quickly. 

"---did you even think how old you'll be when the baby funally becomes an adult?" she finished. 

"Oh, come on, Kit, I'll be...oh, shit." he said as he did the math. " 'Spose now's not a good time to change my mind about this whole thing..." 

"Sorry, I don't think you can get refunds on this type of situation." she laughed. "But, think of the bright side. You'll have a little future Thundercat to teach everything you know to -- and who knows? Maybe he'll listen to you, unlike Kat and I." she said with a wink. 

"He? You think it'll be a boy?" 

"Or she. Whatever. Your bigger worry should be the fact that since you're blue, and she's yellow, is the baby going to be green?" 

Panthro was about to answer back on this question, when they heard Bengali's voice pleading for his older brother to do something. 

"I don't know where the blood's coming from. If I did, I could make it stop!" Tygra yelled back. 

"She's losing pressure fast...dammit, it's not her foot, where the hell is it?" Wilykat surveyed her despritely, trying to find anotherwound. 

"Maybe on her back?" suggested Wilykit, noting the pool of blood on the floor that was running off of the middle of the table. 

Tygra looked down at the puddle Kit was pointing too. "Panthro, come here, give me a hand turning her over." 

"But he's not sterile!" protested Kat. 

"This is ER medicine, not minor cuts and scrapes, we've got to do this now." Tygra pushed Bengali away from the table. "You'd better stay over there."

"No! I want to see what's going on!" he demanded. 

"Wilykit, help me out here." Tygra said. Kit came over and pulled the white tiger towards the door. "Don't worry, it'll be okay, they just need room to work." 

Bengali nodded, trembling. He knew how Panthro must have felt a few days ago. 

Panthro and Tygra sat her up, trying not to move her leg much. Both men were surprised at how little she weighed, mostly due to the blood loss she had suffered. "Anything, Kat?" 

"Holy shit." Wilykat swallowed hard and shook his head. "There's an awful big wound on her back." "How big?" asked Tygra. 

"Big." replied Kat, taking off the gloves and tossing them into the blood on the floor. 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int9.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	9. Chapter 9

### Intermission 

Part Nine 

Behind the lair -- the phrase became synonymous with death for the Thundercats. The area was barren, lifeless -- as it rightly should be. Graves for Jaga and Claudus were located near the far end of the lot, although their remains were not. Closer to the lair, there were two sites. One of them was much smaller than the other, hidden under a shade tree. The other had been dug that morning... 

The gathering was solemn, most of the mourners being thunderians. A few were from the moons of plundaar, and even the mutant pressense was felt through a sole representative. Jackalman stood near the very back of the crowd, shrouded by a black cloak, not wishing to be noticed. Bengali had seen him arrive, however, and at the end of the ceremony, tracked him down before the jackal retreated. Each offered condolences to the other, then briefly hugged each other, a curious gesture, but one left unquestioned by the other guests. 

Bengali beckoned Jackalman to come with him, but the mutant declined, hastily making a return from whence he came. Bengali set to the painful task of comforting the parents of the woman both he and the mutant loved. The couple had kept themselves alienated from her after learning of her ambitions to be a healer instead of a mother. Her older siblings had all married early, and numerous times she had been an aunt, sixteen to be exact. Yet, this dishoner, as her family saw it, contributed to the events of the last few days, in Bengali's eyes. 

He approached them, unsure of guiding himself to what he should say. "I am so sorry for your loss. She was a beautiful and talented young woman. I wish you could have had the chance to know her as well as I did." 

"Thank you for believing in her, Bengali." wept her mother, "At least someone did." Her father merely nodded, eyes locked on the grave stone, carved with the letters of the name he had given to his youngest child. It had taken nearly two decades for her parents to forgive her -- but at what cost? 

Cheetara watched the scene from where she stood not too far off. She was standing alone. The citizens who had come out of respect were leaving, and the other Thundercats were grouping with their families. It wasn't until now that Cheetara realized she truly was alone. Within the Thundercats, Bengali and Tygra, Kit and Kat, and Lion-o and Sahny would always have a sibling around. Panthro had a sister, as well as a neice, and Sumik's family seemed to branch out over the planet. And then... 

She looked back to Bengali, talking to the sorrowful parents. She shook her head. She had been much too young, thought Cheetara. But even with all the sadness everyone was expressing, deep down, Cheetara was feeling sorry for herself. Everyone else had other family members around. The only one she had hadn't yet been born. 

A hand placed itself upon her shoulder. Lynx-o was behind her, with a small child, five or six years old, holding his hand. "Good to see you again." he said. 

"Lynx-o! How have you been?" It had been about eight years since he had been reunited with his wife and his daughters, and he left the Thundercats shortly afterwards so he could spend time with his family, which he hadn't seen in quite some time. In fact, when he had left Thundera, he had only one daughter that he had known of. And now, all this time later, he had grandchildren as well. 

"Have I introduced you to Kalei before?" He said. The child looked up at Cheetara and smiled at her. "I may have, just after she was born. It's been a long time since I've spoken with you. How are things going?" 

"Current circumstances have put a damper on things." She said. "We dealt with an attack from the lunataks just the other day. I got my arm too close to the Ice Runner, slit it right down the side. Sumik got banged up toohave you met him yet? He's a cougar, about Kit and Kat's age." 

"I haven't the pleasure yet. What did the boy do to be annointed, if I may ask?" 

"There was an arson in a nursery. The caretakers left without regard to the youngsters left inside. A crowd had gathered outside the building to watch the blaze, as children hung out the windows calling for help. The snarf fire brigade was on their way, but if Sumik wouldn't have gone inside and saved as many as he had, the brigade would never have been able to save them all. The fire chief said so. Sumik had severe lung damage from the smoke, and the doctors weren't sure he'd pull through, but he did, and Lion-o made him a Thundercat." Explained Cheetara. 

"Didn't the sword warn Lion-o of the danger?" questioned Lynx-o. 

"It doesn't always seem to work if it's not a Thundercat who's in danger." She reasoned. 

"Hmm...too bad." Lynx-o said. "But all was well, the children were all saved." 

Cheetara nodded. Kalei tugged on Lynx-o's pant leg. 

"Yes, little one?" he said, bending down so he was eye level with her. 

"Can I go over and play with Snarf?" she asked 

"Um...why don't you go over and say hi. I don't think he's going to want to play today." He said. 

"Okay." The young girl skipped over to the snarf. 

Lynx-o stood up again. "So, when are you due?" 

"I, uhI don't really know yet." She stammered. "Who told you?" 

"Oh, no one. It's just one of those things that I seem to be able to know." He told her with a gentle smile. "Children are wonderful, no matter what anyone says about them causing problems, you'll love them for it. I wish I'd had the chance to see my younger daughter grow up – I wish I'd known I had a younger daughter. But I cherish the time I've been able to spend with her now." 

"I can't seem to get excited about it, with the attacks going on, and now" she shook her head. 

"Do not blame yourself for her death. Bengali is having enough problems dealing with it, he will need the rest of you to help him through this. And do not forget, from death comes life." 

Tygra had been watching the reunion between Cheetara and Lynx-o when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to find another cheetah of a different species. 

"Hey. So what was it you needed to know. And make it quick, I don't want her throwing a hissy fit that I'm here." Dr. Zhie said, motioning towards Cheetara. 

"Didn't really think you'd show up." he commented. 

"Yeah, well, I'm on call, so I've got to get back soon." She fished a cigarette out of the pocket of her scrubs and lit it. "So did you have an actual question, or was it just whether or not I would show up?" 

"If someone were pregnant with twins, is it unusual for there to be a separate chamber for each fetus?" 

"Depends. Who's got the bad luck?" asked Zhie, taking a drag of the cig. 

Tygra hesitated. "Cheetara." 

Zhie nodded and took a look around the area before answering. "Well, I have an idea of what it might be. I'm pretty much positive what it is. But I can't really say anything. It's the reason I got banished from the family, and it's not something I want to bring up again." 

"So is it normal?" questioned Tygra. 

"For her, yes, but I can't tell you anything past that. I'm sorry." Zhie stood up to leave. "By the way, Fuzzy's looking for a pattern with the murders." 

"Murders?" asked Tygra somewhat alarmed. 

"Yeah...you do know she was murdered, right?" 

"No, well, yes, but I didn't know there was more than one." Tygra said. "How many others?" 

"At this point, eight, including her. Fuzzy's really working on this case. He said there has to be a pattern, he's just got to find it." 

"Tell him if he needs any help, we'll be here." 

Zhie nodded and, after putting out her cigarette, quickly walked away.

Cheetara knelt by the grave. Not the one everyone else was at. Panthro bent down next to her. "How's it goin'?" 

"I don't know anymore." She said, staring at the nameless headstone. "I want to try and find my family." 

"I didn't know you had anyone on Thundera." He remarked. 

"I don't know if I do. But I know I was adopted. It wasn't something anyone ever told me, but I knew it anyway. I want to find my parents, if they're still alive. Before it's too late." 

Panthro nodded. "I understand. When do you want to start looking?" 

"Now." 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int10.html
   [2]: intermission.html



	10. Chapter 10

### Intermission 

Part Ten 

He awoke in a damp, dark place. The dungeon, again, he supposed. The torch lit near the doorway confirmed the asumption, hardly allowing enough light for him to see the shackles on his outstretched wrists and ankles, but he felt the cold hard grip around them. 

He was against the wall, naked, as he usually found himself down here. He hoped he was here because he pissed her off, but most likely, she was delighted about something. It sickened him to think that he was hoping for a whipping as opposed to what other ideas she would have in mind. 

To his dismay, the door creaked open. His heart raced as he ran through possible senarios in his mind. Maybe she'd fall down the stairs and break her neck. Maybe she forgot to lock the cuffs attached to his arms and feet. 

Helpless, try to shake the chains off, no such luck. 

He heard her icy laughter as she approached him. He thrashed against the wall, not losing hope that he might still break free. The room seemed to become chilled as she came nearer. "Don't wear yourself out yet, sexy." she cooed, "I have use for you." 

Shivers hit him as he heard her words. "How did I get here?" he asked weakly. 

"Is that really important?" she asked, drawing her hand down along his face. "Now, we're going to have some fun." 

"You can't make me. I won't." he snarled, although he knew in this position, even he couldn't sway her mind. 

"Oh, yes I can and yes you will." she insisted. Her hand fell lower and began to stroke his manhood, which quickly lengthened and hardened, due not only to her actions but also to the chill. "Ah, there now, not so mighty without your club, are you?" 

"Please...don't do this." he wimpered. He hated himself for grovelling as he was each time feeling less and less like a man. He felt her pelvis brush against the side of his hip. A moment later, she began grinding against him, not yet making him enter her. 

"I think you want it just as much as I do." she blew a paper thin layer of ice over his chest, causing him to shudder as it condensed and ice cold droplets ran down his veins to his feet. 

If she didn't go about the whole process in this manner, he may have considered performing an act suh as this with her. She had beauty and allure. Oh, how he wished she wouldn't always drug him, toss him in the dungeon, and force herself upon him. 

He closed his eyes as she impaled herself upon him, chilling his entire body. He tried to get his mind to focus on something elsewhere while her rhythmic thrusts became stronger, causing him to be lodged deeper and deeper within her cold body. 

Her breathing quickened, and his body convulsed as he groaned with the unwanted passion. As she let out the last of her highly anticipated moans of lust, he instinctively bore as deeply into her as possible in a successful attempt to relieve the tension, cursing himself silently as he withdrew from her. She gave no objection as he slid limply from her. 

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that, my horny little hypnotist." she said, fingering his genitals before licking her sticky fingers clean of the salty fluids. 

He defiantly stared at her and shook his head. "Well, then, maybe I should just get rid of this for you if you get no pleasure from it." She reached down and grabbed his penis, twisting the somewhat raw and frostbitten flesh. He screamed out in pain, trying to retract from her grip, causing her only to dig in sharply, drawing blood. 

"Listen, and listen well. I like you, that's why I spend these little moments with you. You don't even want to know what I do to the others when they upset me." she let her grip loosen, and he struggled to keep from having any contact with her. 

"Lucky for you, I'm having a good day." she said, walking away from him and towards the door. "Guess what I just found out? Pumyra's dead, and we didn't even have to lift a finger." 

"Aren't you going to release me?" he called out as she climbed the steps. 

"Later." she replied, putting out the light of the torch and locking the door. 

[To be continued][1]

[Back to Intermission Contents Page][2]

   [1]: int11.html
   [2]: intermission.html



End file.
